


Growing Up

by Lavendermagik



Series: Fugitive Songs [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Humor, Inspired by Album Fugitive Songs, Mild Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, POV Second Person, Pregnancy, Reader-Insert, Series of One Shots, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29177139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavendermagik/pseuds/Lavendermagik
Summary: How is he supposed to be a father when he's never been shown how?
Relationships: Tony Stark/Reader
Series: Fugitive Songs [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971865
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Growing Up

**Author's Note:**

> Places to listen ( **Warning: Explicit Lyrics** ):  
> [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/0rkiFbalyWPLXaxq566IDB?si=zbeDYiZCRwaNl8wgk9HCWw)  
> [Album Release Party](https://youtu.be/3AHTCF4SiLo)  
> [YouTube Live Show](https://youtu.be/EklHJxCiYZ4)

Tony Stark hadn’t had what he would have described as the most typical or happiest childhood. His mom had been great, obviously, but his dad had never seemed to really _be_ there. He’d had Jarvis in the beginning, and then he’d had JARVIS, but a butler wasn’t the same as a father, no matter how British and caring he was.

“You’re what?”

Tony Stark tried not to let his atypical childhood affect him. He was successful by every measure of the word, from his multi-billion-dollar company to his lauded philanthropy to his saving the world from time to time. To his amazing, wonderful, and super-hot wife who sat next to him on their plush couch and watched him patiently

“I’m pregnant.”

Tony Stark was capable of fending off missiles and aliens and robots and terrorist organizations. He could reassemble a hot rod engine in under twenty minutes. He’d once dated three different Victoria Secret models at the same time without them knowing about each other. He was regularly voted sexiest man in a variety of categories. Yet he found himself absolutely paralyzed by a few simple words. 

“How?” He finally managed to spit out. “We were… we were careful. Extra double super secret careful.” 

You smiled wryly, fingers playing with each other. “Apparently, by our fertility powers combined, we can overcome two forms of birth control.”

“That’s…” What? Implausible? Impossible? Impressive that you were somehow impregnated? “What are the symptoms of a heart attack again?”

“JARVIS would tell you if you were having a heart attack.”

“That I would, sir,” the computer program chimed in helpfully, and yet Tony was not comforted. 

You pulled your legs up underneath you and settled in. “Try to tell me what you’re feeling. Talk it out.”

“Well, its hard to pinpoint exactly, but I’d say largely… panic. Yes, definitely panic.”

“Why?“

“ _Why?_ ” Despite being a certified and well-known genius, Tony often felt you were the smart one in the relationship. However, at the moment he was beginning to question everything. “You tell me there’s a scale model human growing inside of you, and you ask me _why?_ ”

“It’s a baby, not a parasite, and it’s currently only the size of a peanut.” You were still smiling, and he could not begin to fathom the reasoning behind your amusement.

“A better question is how are you so calm? You realize you’re having a baby with _me_ , right?”

“Out of all the available options, I’d say that’s the preferable one. Though I suppose immaculate conception would be scientifically interesting.” You reached over and ran a hand through his hair. “Of course I want to have a baby with you. I believe in you more than anything or anyone else in the world.”

“Have you ever seen me with a baby? Know why? Because I’m not that guy. I’m not a baby guy.”

“You weren’t a relationship guy either until a few years ago.”

“That’s different. You were easy.” His eyes widened, and he turned under your stilled hand to face your blank expression. “Wrong choice of words. I meant, it was an easy adjustment to make. I just had to do what I did before, except for one woman instead of ten.”

“Ten?”

“Bad example.” He turned his gaze back to the television, which despite his earlier intentions before you’d dropped your news, still remained off. “I was going through a rough patch, and everyone branches out in college. The point is, that’s not the kind of guy you want raising your baby.”

“Our baby, and I promise I’m not any more ready for this than you are.”

“Of course you are! You’ve had all this practice taking care of me.”

You smiled that indulgent smile that said you loved him despite or because of whatever just came out of his mouth and lowered your hand to rub at his shoulder. “That is not the same and you know it.”

He stared at the dark TV screen for a long while, the only indication time still passed in the soothing motion of your hand. “You know, my grade school was a mile away from my dad’s lab.”

“Yeah?” You gave no indication of surprise at the seemingly abrupt change of subject. 

“And still he somehow managed to miss every event I was ever part of – science fairs, athletic days, parent-teacher conferences. He left my graduation before I was named valedictorian. I grew up pretending I didn’t care, like constantly failing to measure up to my dad’s expectations didn’t screw me up.”

“I’m sorry, Tony.”

“That was my model of fatherhood. The only other father figure I had in my life tried to kill me.”

“You are not Howard Stark, and you are certainly not Obadiah Stane.” Your voice had gone stern with your disdain, and your fingers pressed more insistently.

He took a deep breath and turned to face you. “I don’t want to fail my child the same ways my father failed me.”

“Tony, recognizing that is the first step. In means you’re going to fail in entirely new ways. We both will. Nobody knows how to parent until they do it. I don’t want to mess this up either, but it’s going to happen. Luckily, there’s two of us, so we can double-team the squirt.” You smiled again, the one that felt like sunshine captured into a human expression. “We’re going to figure this out together.”

All the air left his lungs in one big whooshing sigh, and he collapsed to press his forehead into your collarbone. He stared down at your as-of-yet still unchanged stomach, giving no hint at all to what was growing inside. He smoothed one palm over the area, soft fabric of your shirt bunching under his fingers. “The size of a peanut, huh?”

“Roughly. Plenty of time for a few more freak outs before the due date.”

“Good.” He straightened, and your hand finally came to rest on the side of his face, thumb just below his cheekbone. Your eyes glimmered with something like adoration, and he couldn't comprehend his luck. “You’re sure we’re going to be okay?”

“Tony,” your other hand mirrored the first, warm and comforting and perfect, just like you, “we’re going to be incredible.”


End file.
